Stuart McIntyre

I welcome HMRC’s conclusion, which has cleared me of any wrongdoing. I have been exonerated by HMRC of the accusation that I deliberately sought to avoid tax. When purchasing a home of my own with a mortgage, I did not own any other property and had no personal financial interest in the court-instructed trust set up to manage my son’s financial award. I was advised by experts that I should pay stamp duty at the standard rate. I set out to pay the correct amount of tax. I took reasonable care and acted in good faith, based on the expert advice I received, and HMRC has accepted this. I have always sought to act with integrity, and I believe politicians should be held to high standards - that is why I resigned from government and cooperated fully with HMRC.  I wanted to ensure that I paid every penny that I owed, and have done so. I am relieved that my family can now move on - and that I can get on with my job.

This might be the worst VAR decision I’ve seen (and there’s a lot of competition). Extraordinary given the significance.

My lawyers have formally written to Ben Habib. They demanded an immediate apology and public retraction for the baseless allegations he made today. I do not take legal action often. But I will not accept slander & politically motivated smears after winning a national election.